German innovation project for fiber-to-fiber recycling in the textile industry launched

German Innovation project for fiber-to-fiber recycling

Transforming old textiles into new, high-quality materials on a large scale – this is the focus of a new innovation project by eeden, the Textile Logistics Center of Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, the Fraunhofer IML, and Hohenstein Innovations gGmbH (HI).

The project aims to promote the circular textile economy through technological and logistical optimizations. eeden's innovative fiber-to-fiber recycling process is being further developed to efficiently process textile waste from laundries. Additionally, logistics from collection to recycling is being redesigned to ensure resource-efficient and effective supply of this material stream. With a total volume of over 625,000 euros, the project is co-financed within the framework of the GreenEconomy.IN.NRW innovation competition by the Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, and Transport of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union.

"Our goal is to close the loop in the textile industry. By optimizing our process, we want to significantly improve the recycling of old textiles from laundries and create an optimal use of this resource. We are pleased to advance the circular management of textile products together with two high-quality partners," explains Ida Marie Brieger, Business Development at eeden.

Hohenstein and eeden are jointly examining the old textiles through analytical tests to precisely determine the properties of the textile waste after different cleaning cycles. Dr. Timo Hammer, Managing Director of Hohenstein, states: "The collaboration with eeden and the Textile Logistics Center enables us to implement the latest technologies and scientific insights into practice. We are very excited to be part of this forward-looking project."

Subsequently, the Textile Logistics Center (CTL), supported by eeden, develops a concept for the efficient recovery of raw materials and their integration into a future-proof business structure. Prof. Dr. Markus Muschkiet, head of the CTL, emphasizes: "This project allows us to develop new logistics concepts that increase efficiency and promote circular practices. We look forward to applying our expertise to build a new, sustainable value chain."

Finally, the further developed process will be validated at a pilot scale by eeden. By 2026, the close collaboration between eeden, the Textile Logistics Center (CTL), and Hohenstein is expected to advance the circular use of textiles and make a significant contribution to reducing textile waste.